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A losing streak with style

Many years ago, the Kansas City Royals were no-hit by Jon Lester, and they haven’t won a game since. Wait, that was like 11 days ago but time has dragged by while Royals Nation waits for the team to pull out some kind of non-failure. It’s been a voyage of suckitude not seen since the infamous 19-game losing streak of 2005. You want to know how it feels? I’ll show you:

The team, from the front office all the way down to the bullpen, looks really different than it did three years ago, but the team that’s losing now and the team that lost back then have something in common: creative losses.

I have felt for days on end that my Royals will never win another game. If that holds true, I hope the team can at least keep losing creatively. Tonight’s loss, a pedestrian affair against the Twins, only gets creativity points because it was one of four complete games thrown against the team during the streak. One of those complete games, of course, was the no-hitter thrown by Jon Lester.

Jon Lester pic, just because I can. Smoldering.

On Tuesday night, the team was down 3-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. Joe Nathan came in to wrap it up for the Twins, at which point KC fans would have been justified in shutting off the TV. Nathan is a certified Royal-killer, so even with two runners on base it seemed like a Minnesota victory was assured. Instead, Mark Teahen hit an inside-the-park home run that tied the game. What kind of team could possibly waste a play like that?

You guessed it; the Royals can. They went on to lose that game 4-3, and blew a 5-run lead in the 9th to lose the next night. But if they want to make things really interesting, they’re going to have to find new ways to lose games. Here are some ideas to get them started:

Take a cue from their AAA team, and split up a game into two days on account of a chemical spill. (Important difference: The triple-A guys won that game)

Righties bat left-handed and lefties bat right-handed. (Infielder Alberto Callaspo, a switch-hitter, would have to sit.)

Pick two opposing hitters and cork their bats before the game

Have some infielders play in the outfie–oh wait, they tried that. (Joe Posnanski on the fly ball that would have given the Royals a victory: “And then Brendan Harris loops a fly ball to right field that looks like it very well could be the third out. David DeJesus should run that down and … wait a minute. David DeJesus is not in right field. No, that’s, um. Ross Gload in right field. Why is Ross Gload in right field?”)

Have the starting pitcher take a perfect game into extra innings, then give up one run while the offense plates zero.

About Minda

I hail from Nebraska, and I like to take pictures. I love the Royals more than what the Surgeon General recommends (the recommendation, in case you need to know, is about 4.5 milligrams per day for persons of average height and weight).

@Miss Minda- there was a lot of yelling and (admitted) swearing on wednesday night at the tv. damn royals. getting our hopes up at the beginning of the year and then dashing them with idiotic plays and general ridiculousness.

I had the misfortune of being at Wednesday’s farce. I had the horrible feeling the whole game that it would fall apart – once it started blowing up in the 9th I couldn’t watch anymore and stood out in the concourse – wasn’t long before my husband joined me. It was the most heartbreaking thing – they had played such a good ballgame until the 9th. Gload in right field was the final straw – Hillman apparently doesn’t have enough sense to put him at first and Teahen in right – it’s his regular position!! It’s getting pretty depressing around our household – my husband even threatened to box up all of his Royals gear!